Kickboxing a draw at Health and Fitness Expo at MetLife Stadium

Luciana Jimenez, 7, got some help with her from from her father, Ignacio Jimenez of Clifton, while she hit the heavy bag at the expo Sunday.

Denise Mantrom, a 50-year-old West Milford resident, smacked her fists hundreds of times into a 120-pound sandbag outside of MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Mantrom punched, then kicked and punched the bag again — each swing perfectly aligned to not only the beat of a pop song, but the commands of a trainer on a loud speaker.

But Sunday wasn’t anything special, Mantrom said, she was only making up for a lost kickboxing workout earlier in the week at CKO Kickboxing’s booth at the Health and Fitness Expo at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

From left, Heather Maskley and her friend Denise Mantrom of West Milford get in a workout at the expo.

“I do a kickboxing workout three or four times a week and missed one this week,” Mantrom said. “I’ve lost 77 pounds because of kickboxing. You work every part of your body — even places you haven’t used since you were a little kid. It’s addicting.”

Mantrom was one of hundreds of visitors who packed the field and outer-rim of MetLife Stadium on Sunday, participating in different events at the second annual Health and Fitness Expo hosted by NBC 4, Quest Diagnostics and the New York Giants.

While the two-day expo featured more than 100 booths with demonstrations and information about different health topics, those who attended the small kickboxing sessions held by CKO Kickboxing on Sunday said they believed the increasingly popular workout was the best way to keep fit.

Kickboxing is a form of cardio and weight training in which individuals punch, kick and push against a sandbag. The training, participants said on Sunday, is an intense full-body workout that can also help for self-defense. CKO Kickboxing is a Hoboken-based company with a center in Paramus.

“It’s a full-body workout, but it also helps with your focus,” said Kristine Simoneschi, a CKO trainer working at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. “You burn more than 1,000 calories in each workout and you really use every part of your body. It’s been getting more and more popular every year.”

Heather Maskley, also of West Milford, attended the expo with Mantrom and said she thought kickboxing was one of the best ways to keep fit when compared to the typical gym experience.

“I fell in love with kickboxing from day one,” Maskley said. “It’s a lot of fun and it’s intense– but it’s so worth it.”

The biggest difference between a gym and the workout in kickboxing is that instead of having to move from machine to machine at a gym, kickboxing works all of the muscles at once, Maskley said.

Rich Rosso, the chief operating officer of CKO Kickboxing, said the company’s booth at the expo – which featured 16 sandbags and held 15- to 20-minute sessions for anyone attending the event – had more than 1,000 people workout on Saturday and expected the same number of expo attendees to try a demo on Sunday.

“You do strength training and cardiovascular work and in the end you get great results,” Rosso said. “People tell me all the time that it’s an addicting workout.”

The addicting quality of kickboxing was echoed by other people who signed up for a mini-class at CKO’s booth on Sunday.

“I have been doing kickboxing for a long time and I love it,” Karen Johnson said while punching one of the sandbags. “You work really hard in each workout, but at the same time you are not just working your muscles – you have to keep focused.”

But those around the booth at the expo said despite the intense nature of kickboxing, it was easy for anyone to start doing the workouts on a regular basis.

“It really doesn’t matter whether you are brand new to kickboxing or are experienced with it,” said Simoneschi, the CKO trainer. “Everyone in the classes keep the energy up – but you also have your own sandbag to work with, so you can really go at your own pace.”

Mantrom said kickboxing helped her get in shape and lose weight, but the encouragement of others in kickboxing classes is equally important to her.

“It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also going to kick your butt,” Mantrom said. “That being said, everyone always pushes you to keep going — it’s really like a big family at each of the workouts.”